1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for authenticating the originality of a document. More particularly, this invention relates to the systems and methods to generate, preserve, collect, search, and to certify the authentic originality of the documents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Even though there are tremendous progress made in the data and media content generation, storage, search, transmission and presentation technologies, there is difficulties and limitations for a network user searches and retrieves these data of media contents to authenticate the originality of the data or content received from the networks. Specifically, there are multiple ways and technologies to modify and change the data or media contents transmitted over the networks. A regular network user has no way to distinguish or verify any of the files or documents are true original.
As more and more business activities are carried out online, there are urgent needs to provide a system and method such that a network user can conveniently and securely validate a document, file or media content received from the network is indeed a true original document. Different techniques and methods are attempted to achieve this purpose including electronic signature system and other methods. However, the state of art techniques are still confronted with various kinds of difficulties and limitations.
In a published US Patent Application 2003/0159045, Nishimoto, et al. discloses original creating apparatus and an originality guaranteeing apparatus to prevent a document and a signature from being falsified while visually displaying the signature, etc. The time data (t1) is added to data of a document (development plan document) and data of a seal column of a creator, an electronic signature is put, and a checksum (CS1) is generated. Then, an original file including also the checksum (CS1) is created, and transmitted to an approver side. The approver side verifies the checksum (CS1), makes a comparison between the checksum (CS1) obtained as a result of the verification, and the checksum recorded to the file, and whether or not both of the checksums match is determined, so that the originality is confirmed. With such a configuration, the authentication process for preventing document falsification can be achieved, whereby a document transfer can be visually made while guaranteeing the originality of document data.
Such methods are still limited by the difficulties that the data and media contents have limited availability and accessible only by those involved in the business transactions. As large amount of media data and contents are generated and captured by large number of networked device, a network user would still require a more convenient and accessible data serve to more readily satisfy the needs for authenticating and validating the originality of data or media contents transmitted and available on the networks.
Therefore, a need still exists in the field of computer network to provide new and improved system configuration and methods to overcome such limitations.